Joseph Kony

Pure Evil

Evil comes in many forms, the visible thong protruding from a pair of size 20 jeans and allowing Adrian Chiles to present football are just two examples of evil in modern society and whilst the repugnant nature of an oversized thong exposed in public and the brummy’s droning nonsense are at times hard to contend with, we tolerate them with the knowledge that there is far greater evil in the world.

The majority of you reading this will have already seen the video that is doing the rounds on Facebook and I for one have not been as affected by an online video since ‘Two Girls One Cup’ emerged.  The video is an attempt to make the world aware of Joseph Kony.  Kony is the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a group that holds its roots in religion – members insist spirits contacted Kony directly to carry out this mission throughout Uganda.  It recruits vulnerable children to do its inhumane bidding, in a war for power.  Despite my hatred for oversized thongs I would much rather have the misfortune of being stuck behind a plus sized female than meet Mr Kony.

Furious

Kony’s ‘mission’ involves ripping the childhood away from entire communities as young unassuming individuals are snatched from their homes, handed guns and sent out to kill.  One of the celebrities supporting the campaign is Angelina Jolie who is unsurprisingly furious with Joseph Kony for stealing ‘all the good kids’ as she aims to strengthen her own tribe.

I, like many others, was ignorant to the horrific crimes being committed up until I saw the video on Facebook and at 29 minutes long, I had little faith that I was going to stick it out for the duration – my level of patience often leaves me unable to complete a sandwich – yet as the video went on I became more compelled to learn about the actions of this evil man whose global exposure is growing by the day.  The situation in Central Africa is summed up in the video by a young boy who says simply, ‘It’s sad’.  

The aim of the video is to raise awareness of the man who has reaped havoc in Central Africa for decades and ultimately overthrow him.  The term ‘Make Kony Famous’ is a recurring theme and  given Kony’s elusive nature it isn’t really feasible to increase his exposure in the usual way and put him in the Big Brother House.  The video is undoubtedly moving and thought provoking and no sooner had my faith in humanity been restored than it was ripped away by an army of cynics professing to know every detail about the LRA and insisting that a campaign on Facebook is frivolous.  The power of social media is not to be underestimated; in 2009 a campaign by fans of Rage Against the Machine to overhaul to grasp that the X Factor had on the Christmas number 1 was launched through Facebook and proved successful.  As humans we are criticized time and time again for not ‘doing our bit’ for third world countries, yet the Invisible Children Foundation is a prime example of a society working within their means to help others less fortunate.

The cynicism with which people have viewed this attempt to make the world a better place is the reasons why politicians would rather sit on the fence and pick the splinters out of their arses than commit to any kind of meaningful change.  There is no pleasing some people.

The man everyone is talking about, Joseph  Kony

Often we go to bed at night with worries on our mind and at one time or another these worries will force us to lie awake staring at the ceiling whilst imagining the worst possible outcome for whatever may be troubling us, be it a relationship, an exam or the fact that your football team is fourth bottom of the entire football league.  Yet all of these concerns – except maybe the last – pale into insignificance when we realise the panic that these children in Central Africa must feel as they lay down at night.  We have all heard fictional tales of the bogeyman, yet for these kids, it’s a terrifying reality.

How do you stop a man so focused on power that he will exploit the children of his nation to keep it? I am not saying that we should all board a plane to Uganda and hunt for Kony ourselves, this would be foolish and costly, I am merely echoing the message of Jason Russell and the Invisible Children Foundation to expose Kony for what he is and make others aware in the process.  So if you haven’t already, take half an hour out of your day to watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc  Enjoy!